Three Things

Three things you should always remember:

Where you've been, where you are, and where you are going.

Quote of the Week

"Most people don't plan to fail; they just fail to plan." - Anonymous

Steampunk

[Steampunk is] The combination of the future and past in an industrial, trashy clash.

Steam = industrial. Punk = trashy.


The intricate, clock-work creations are fascinating, but the corresponding gas-masks and girls that look like prostitutes from all worlds and ages are a bit of a push-away.

Quote of the Week

"Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." - William Jennings Bryan

Hell Part 2

Did God create Hell? Well, according to last week's suppositions, He didn't have to. But I think we need to dig into this. We already established the neutral ground of Hell, aside from justice, now let's look at the justice implications of hell

You have all probably heard this one. Say someone killed a member of your family and they are brought before a judge. They say, well, I have done a lot of good stuff, so that should cancel out this bad. Should a judge just let them go? Not a good judge. Why? Because justice doesn't work that way - and good does not cancel out bad. They are separate, measured on completely different scales. They don't even talk to each other, so to speak. (Yes, the story is from Courageous, in case you are wondering.)

Let's say the murderer said, well, ain't that arrogant of you to make me follow your laws? They made me mad, so according to my laws, I should kill them. We all know that is ridiculous, but people do that to God often enough. They get mad at him for implementing His laws, forgetting that 1)  He may know more, 2) He makes the rules, He has the rights. Sure, that sounds tough, but it's the truth, and isn't it great? He has our best in mind, so we ought to be grateful, especially since we humans have the tendency to screw everything up. (That was a side track just to show that it isn't arrogant to have one set of rules, briefly.)

Think about the thing that makes you angriest. Is it a child being abused? A brothel? Adultery? Divorce? Murder? Theft? Heart-break? God sees everything we do and everything it causes. He knows the affects of our tiniest deviation of His plan and He give us grace and loves us so much He sent His son down to die none the less. These things make Him furious, too, but He wants us to escape His fury. What right does anyone have to say, I don't care, I don't want Jesus, I want you to see all that I am, all my sins and flaws, and let me in anyway. God is a just God, and even as we get angry over the pains we see caused by others, God also gets angry and wants justice, yet, still He gives a way of mercy. It's an open door and everyone has the choice.

In conclusion, Hell at it's bases is the absence of God, made horrible by the lack of God's presence, a built in need for God's presence - something we always have on Earth no matter how little. Hell is also a place of justice without mercy where people who did not CHOOSE mercy - because they could have - are sent to carry the burden of justice alone, even though Jesus offered to carry it for them. Therefore, what is infuriating about Hell at all? It's sad, but not infuriating or a slander on God's character.

I do not know if God Himself created Hell or if it just the "anti-matter" of Heaven, but it isn't so offensive now.

Hell Part 1

Hell is a really uncomfortable topic, isn't it? Yes, it is. But for just a moment, let's forget about the burning fire and darkness. Let's just suppose that hell = No God presence and heaven = All God presence. There is a quote from an a man who said he hated God and that if heaven had God, it would be hell to him.

People get all angry when they think about non-Christians being sent to hell, but if you think about it, forgetting about punishment, if they didn't love God, why would they like heaven? If they didn't care enough about God on earth, why would they want to be in a heaven where God is everywhere and ruler? They had the choice between God and no God, so maybe hell and heaven - in this finite mind experiment! - is the choice between God and no God. So is it really infuriating to let people go to a place where God isn't if they never liked God or cared to pursue Him in the first place? No, not really.

Again! Don't think about the fire or whatever. That will be brought up later, let's just go down the the the fundamentals. People see beliefs as arbitrary, but I think that's a mistake. I think beliefs, at least in God, are more scientific. 5 + 5 = 10. Acceptance of Jesus = Eternal life. No one get's offended that 5+5 = 10. 5+ nothing else will = 10. People + nothing else except Jesus will = Eternal life. But that is a different topic.

So, what we have is that hell is simply a place that is void of God's presence. Doesn't sound so bad? Sorry to bust your bubble with a theory, but think about this. God made everything. He also made us in His image. I think that even in the darkest corners of the Earth, God's presence and workmanship is still there. I believe there is a subconscious need for God's presence at the very least. Because God is omnipresent, even the wickedest murderer is surrounded by God's presence and needs it. I don't think anyone ever experience utter separation from the existence of God until they reach hell, which is void of it. I don't think I can explain the pain and torture of that vacuum. Think about the loneliness of being "forever-alone" or that hole when someone you love dies and multiply that by who knows how much and even that, I believe, falls short of the tremendous need for God's presence whether we follow, believe, love, or hate Him.

Why hell, besides punishment of course? I already explained that a little in the beginning, but think about this - I'm sure you've heard it before. What happens when perfection meets with imperfection? It becomes imperfect. Anything at all less than %100 or perfect is not perfect. God is perfect. Heaven is perfect. God's angels are perfect. God's original creation is perfect. If He accepts what is not perfect, perfection no longer exists, depriving everything else that is perfect from perfection. Seriously! Besides, why should God - who is PERFECT - go out of His convenience for that which is not? What obligation does He have? Really, honestly, none whatsoever. So, it would be ridiculous to spoil something perfect, but God loves us and wants us - who were originally created perfect - to enjoy His perfect Creation. What now? He wipes away our imperfections by sacrificing something perfect, His Son. He really did go out of His convenience for us, it seems very childish to complain that He is being unreasonable that He now wants everyone to accept His Son's sacrifice to go to Heaven. But that is what a lot of people do. It's unreasonable... and foolish.

Hell is not only the place void of God's presence, but it is the place of all imperfections. There is a fine line between perfection and imperfection. God has created a way to cross that gap. The choice is ours, and it's not arbitrary. It's as black and white as a math problem.

"In a hole in the ground there" began an adventure hundreds girls and boys, young and old, of the Earth will never forget.

Happy New Year

A day late, but Happy New Years everybody! A new year, a new quarter, a new month! Very exciting. There is something thrilling about knowing that the future is unknown, and anything can happen, and you have a hand in making whatever happens happen - though obviously not all. I can't wait to see what this year brings to all of us!